Game apparatus, control method, and control program for using a first game to define a play area of a second game

ABSTRACT

A game apparatus for providing a user interface able to realize various game developments without degrading usability, including a display unit including a display screen and a processing unit that causes a plurality of objects to be displayed on the display screen of the display unit, changes, in a case in which at least one object of the plurality of objects is operated by a player in a first game, a display form of at least the operated object and specifies an area corresponding to the object whose display form is changed, and displays, in a case in which a first condition related to the first game is satisfied, the specified area as a second game area used in a second game different from the first game.

FIELD

Embodiments provided herein relate to a game apparatus, a controlmethod, and a control program.

BACKGROUND

In the past, game apparatuses have been provided in which a display formof a game object changes according to the operation of the player, and agame progresses on the basis of a game object whose display form ischanged.

For example, a game apparatus that provides a puzzle game in which aplurality of blocks that can be arranged in a grid form are displayed, apredetermined number of blocks move according to an operation by aplayer, and displayed blocks satisfying a predetermined condition areerased (deleted) is disclosed in Patent Literature 1. In this gameapparatus, other blocks which are adjacent to each other in a screenupward direction automatically move to the position of erased blocks bythe operation of the player in a screen downward direction, and aprocess of determining whether or not a specified condition is satisfiedis executed again after the blocks have moved.

In this game apparatus, the player can not only extinguish a displayedblock by performing an operation of moving the block, but can alsoextinguish a displayed block based on the automatic movement of otherblocks in the screen downward direction as a block is extinguished. Asdescribed above, this game apparatus can provide the players with gamesrequiring advanced thinking.

Patent Literature 1, JP-A-2010-259455, provides such a technique.

SUMMARY

However, in the game apparatus of the related art, the game is developedexclusively on the basis of the game objects whose display forms arechanged according to the operation of the player. For this reason, for agame requiring more advanced thinking to be provided to the player, itis necessary to change game specifications by increasing the type and/ornumber of displayed game objects or increasing the moving speed of thegame objects.

In a case in which the game specifications are changed as describedabove, the usability of the user interface of the game apparatus islikely to deteriorate due to a reduction in input accuracy of the playerassociated with a reduction in the player's visibility of the gameobject, an increase in the type and/or number of game objects in thelimited display area of the game apparatus, and/or an increase in movingspeed. Further, such a change in the game specifications causes aproblem of increased processing load on the game apparatus.

The embodiments as described herein were made to solve the aboveproblems, and it is an object of the embodiments to provide the playerwith a user interface of realizing various game developments withoutdegrading usability.

A game apparatus according to embodiments provided herein may be a gameapparatus including a display unit including a display screen and aprocessing unit that causes a plurality of objects to be displayed onthe display screen of the display unit, changes, in a case in which atleast one object of the plurality of objects is operated by a player ina first game, a display form of at least the operated object andspecifies an area corresponding to the object whose display form ischanged, and may display, in a case in which a first condition relatedto the first game is satisfied, the specified area as a second game areaused in a second game different from the first game.

Further, in the game apparatus according to embodiments provided herein,preferably, the first condition may be satisfied when at least thenumber of designations of the object by the player reaches apredetermined number.

Further, in the game apparatus according to embodiments provided herein,preferably, in a case in which the second game area is adjacent toanother second game area, the processing unit may integrate the adjacenttwo second game areas into one second game area, and the first conditionmay be satisfied when at least one second game area may include apredetermined position used in the second game.

Further, in the game apparatus according to embodiments provided herein,preferably, the changing of the display form of the operated object mayinclude deleting the operated object from the display screen.

Further, in the game apparatus according to embodiments provided herein,preferably, the processing unit may perform display control such that anobject adjacent to the deleted object in a predetermined direction amongthe plurality of objects may be automatically moved to a position of thedeleted object in the display screen.

Further, in the game apparatus according to embodiments provided herein,preferably, the processing unit may delete an object satisfying thesecond condition as the adjacent object may be moved from the displayscreen, and may display an area corresponding to the deleted object asthe second game area.

Also, in the game apparatus according to embodiments provided herein,preferably, the object satisfying the second condition may be deletedfrom the display screen as the deleted object is automatically moved,and a predetermined parameter value may be increased according to thenumber of times that the second condition is satisfied consecutively.

Further, in the game apparatus according to embodiments provided herein,preferably, an attribute may be associated with each of the plurality ofobjects, and in a case in which a third condition relating to thepredetermined parameter value is satisfied, the predetermined attributemay be changed to another attribute for an object associated with apredetermined attribute displayed on the display screen.

A control method according to embodiments provided herein may be acontrol method for a game apparatus including a display unit including adisplay screen and may include a step of causing a plurality of objectsto be displayed on the display screen of the display unit, a step ofchanging, in a case in which at least one object of the plurality ofobjects may be operated by a player in a first game, a display form ofat least the operated object and specifying an area corresponding to theobject whose display form may be changed, and a step of displaying, in acase in which a first condition related to the first game may besatisfied, the specified area as a second game area used in a secondgame different from the first game.

A control program according to embodiments provided herein may be acontrol program of a game apparatus including a display unit including adisplay screen and causes the game apparatus to execute a step ofcausing a plurality of objects to be displayed on the display screen ofthe display unit, a step of changing, in a case in which at least oneobject of the plurality of objects is operated by a player in a firstgame, a display form of at least the operated object and specifying anarea corresponding to the object whose display form is changed, and astep of displaying, in a case in which a first condition related to thefirst game is satisfied, the specified area as a second game area usedin a second game different from the first game.

Advantageous Effects of the Embodiments

With the game apparatus, the control method, and the control programaccording to embodiments provided herein, it may be possible to providethe player with the user interface of realizing various gamedevelopments without degrading usability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configurationof a game system 1;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configurationof a mobile terminal 2;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configurationof a server 3;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on adisplay unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on thedisplay unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on thedisplay unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on thedisplay unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on thedisplay unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on thedisplay unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed onthe display unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed onthe display unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed onthe display unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of anobject table T1;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of agame field table T2;

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation sequence ofthe game system 1;

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow of agame progress process; and

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow of anautomatic object change process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, various embodiments of embodiments provided herein will bedescribed below with reference to the appended drawings. However, itshould be noted that the technical scope of embodiments provided hereinmay not be limited to those embodiments, but extends to embodimentsprovided herein set forth in claims and their equivalents.

A game apparatus according to the present embodiment may be a mobileterminal such as a multifunctional mobile phone (a so-called“smartphone”) owned by a player. The game apparatus can display a gamefield in which a plurality of objects are arranged on a display screenand cause a game using the game field to progress. An object may be agame element specified according to an input of the player, for example,a panel, a card, or a character. The game field may be a game spacewhich is displayed on the display screen and used for arrangement of aplurality of objects. The following description will proceed with anexample in which the game provided by the game apparatus is a puzzlegame.

In the puzzle game provided by the game apparatus according to thepresent embodiment, in a case in which at least one object among aplurality of objects is designated according to the operation of theplayer on the game apparatus, the display form of the object designatedby the player may be changed. The change in the display form of thedesignated object may be deletion (erasure) of the designated object.The deletion of the object may entail that the object is not placed inthe game field, and the object may not be used in the game thereafter.The deletion of the object may be a transparent display in which atransparent color may be set for the object and a background color ofthe object may be combined with color information of the object. Thedisplay form of the designated object may be a change in the displaycolor of the designated object.

The game apparatus may designate an area corresponding to the objectwhose display form has been changed as an additional game area used inan additional game different from the puzzle game. The additional gamemay be, for example, a game in which a game content such as a characterthat can move only in an additional game area may be automatically ormanually moved from a predetermined start position to a goal position.The additional game may be various kinds of board games in which piecescan be placed only in the additional game area.

The game apparatus may end the puzzle game and starts the additionalgame in a case in which a game complete condition of the puzzle game maybe satisfied. If the additional game starts, an additional game screenmay be displayed.

As described above, in the game apparatus of the present embodiment, theadditional game area used in the additional game different from thepuzzle game may be determined according to an operation result of theplayer on the puzzle game, and the additional game area using theadditional game area may be executed. Accordingly, the game apparatus ofthe present embodiment can provide an additional game corresponding tothe operation result on the puzzle game to the player who plays thepuzzle game. In other words, the game apparatus of the presentembodiment can provide the player with a user interface of realizingvarious game developments without increasing the type and/or number ofgame objects or increasing the moving speed of the game object.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a schematic configuration of a gamesystem 1.

The game system 1 may include a plurality of mobile terminals 2 operatedby a plurality of players and a server 3. The mobile terminal 2 and theserver 3 may be connected to each other via a communication network suchas a base station 4, a mobile communication network 5, a gateway 6, andthe Internet 7. Communication may be performed between the mobileterminal 2 and the server 3 on the basis of a prescribed communicationprotocol. The prescribed communication protocol may be, for example, ahypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

The mobile terminal 2 may be an example of a game apparatus thatprovides a game, but the game apparatus may not be limited to the mobileterminal 2. For example, the server 3 may be used as a game apparatus.Also, the game system 1 including the mobile terminal 2 and the server 3may be used as a game apparatus.

The mobile terminal 2 may be a multifunctional mobile phone. The mobileterminal 2 may be a mobile phone (so-called “feature phone”), a mobileinformation terminal (personal digital assistant (PDA)), a tabletterminal, a tablet personal computer (PC), or the like. The mobileterminal 2 may be a portable game machine, a portable music player, alaptop PC, or the like.

FIG. 2 may be a diagram illustrating an example of a schematicconfiguration of the mobile terminal 2.

The mobile terminal 2 may be connected to the server 3 via the basestation 4, the mobile communication network 5, the gateway 6, and theInternet 7 and may perform communication with the server 3. The mobileterminal 2 may control the progress of the game according to the variouskinds of instructions input by the player. Also, the mobile terminal 2may receive various kinds of data from the server 3 and may display thegame screen or the like. For that purpose, the mobile terminal 2 mayinclude a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, an operation unit23, a display unit 24, and a terminal processing unit 25.

The communication unit 21 may include a communication interface circuitincluding an antenna having a predetermined frequency band as asensitive band, and may connect the mobile terminal 2 to thecommunication network. The communication unit 21 may establish awireless signal line such as a long term evolution (LTE) scheme with thebase station 4 via a channel assigned by the base station 4, and mayperform communication with the base station 4. A communication schemebetween the communication unit 21 and the base station 4 may be a 5thgeneration (5G) mobile communication system or the like. Then, thecommunication unit 21 may transmit data supplied from the terminalprocessing unit 25 to the server 3. Also, the communication unit 21 maysupply data received from the server 3 or the like to the terminalprocessing unit 25.

The storage unit 22 may include, for example, a semiconductor memorydevice such as a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory(RAM). The storage unit 22 may store an operating system program, adriver program, an application program, data, or the like used forprocessing in the terminal processing unit 25. The driver program storedin the storage unit 22 may be a wireless communication device driverprogram that may control the communication unit 21, an input devicedriver program that may control the operation unit 23, and an outputdevice driver program that may control the display unit 24. Theapplication program stored in the storage unit 22 may be a controlprogram or the like that may control the mobile terminal 2 in order torealize the progress of the game. The data stored in the storage unit 22include various kinds of game data (an object table T1, a game fieldtable T2, an object image, game progress data, or the like to bedescribed later) used when the game may be executed, identification data(for example, a player identification (ID)) uniquely identifying theplayer playing the game or the like. Also, the storage unit 22 maytemporarily store data related to a predetermined process.

The operation unit 23 may be a pointing device such as a touch panel.The operation unit 23 may be an input key or the like. The player caninput letters, numbers, and symbols using the operation unit 23, theposition on the display screen of the display unit 24, or the like. In acase in which the operation unit 23 is operated by the player, theoperation unit 23 may generate a signal corresponding to that operation.Then, the generated signal may be supplied to the terminal processingunit 25 as an instruction of the player.

The display unit 24 may be a liquid crystal display. The display unit 24may be an organic electro-luminescence (EL) display or the like. Thedisplay unit 24 may display an image corresponding to image datasupplied from the terminal processing unit 25, an image corresponding tothe image data, or the like.

The terminal processing unit 25 may be one or more processors thatoperate according to a computer program (software), or one or morededicated hardware circuits for executing at least some of various kindsof processes, or a circuitry including a combination thereof. Theterminal processing unit 25 centrally may control an overall operationof the mobile terminal 2, and may be, for example, a central processingunit (CPU). The terminal processing unit 25 may execute various kinds ofinformation processing through an appropriate procedure on the basis ofvarious kinds of instructions or the like input according to the programstored in the storage unit 22 and the operation of the operation unit 23by the player, and may control the operation of the communication unit21 or the display unit 24. The terminal processing unit 25 may executevarious kinds of information processing on the basis of the operatingsystem program, the driver program, and the application program storedin the storage unit 22. Also, the terminal processing unit 25 canexecute a plurality of programs in parallel.

The terminal processing unit 25 may include at least a progressprocessing unit 251 and a display processing unit 252. Each of thesecomponents may be a functional module which may be implemented by aprogram executed by a processor included in the terminal processing unit25. Alternatively, each of these components may be implemented in themobile terminal 2 as firmware.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a schematic configuration of the server3.

The server 3 may manage various kinds of information used in the gameaccording to instructions from the mobile terminal 2. Also, the server 3may transmit various kinds of game data or the like used in the game tothe mobile terminal 2. To this end, the server 3 may include a servercommunication unit 31, a server storage unit 32, and a server processingunit 33.

The server communication unit 31 may include a communication interfacecircuit for connecting the server 3 with the Internet 7, and may performcommunication via the Internet 7. The server communication unit 31 maysupply data received from the mobile terminal 2 or the like to theserver processing unit 33 and may transmit data supplied from the serverprocessing unit 33 to the mobile terminal 2 or the like.

The server storage unit 32 may include, for example, at least one of amagnetic tape device, a magnetic disc device, and an optical discdevice. The server storage unit 32 may store the operating systemprogram, the driver program, application programs, data, or the likeused in the processing in the server processing unit 33. The applicationprogram stored in the server storage unit 32 may be game programs or thelike that manage various kinds of game information for each mobileterminal 2 according to various kinds of instructions from each mobileterminal 2. The computer program stored in the server storage unit 32may be installed in the server storage unit 32 from a portablecomputer-readable recording medium such as, for example, a CD-ROM or aDVD-ROM using a well-known setup program or the like.

The data stored in the server storage unit 32 may include game progressdata of each player (data related to a game result, identification dataidentifying a game stage that the player has already played andcompleted, and the like), and the like. Also, the server storage unit 32may store various kinds of game data (an object table T1, a game fieldtable T2, image data of objects, and the like), and the like related tothe progress of the game. Further, the server storage unit 32 maytemporarily store data related to a predetermined process. In otherwords, the server storage unit 32 may include a volatile memory (arandom access memory (RAM)) and store dynamic data that varies accordingto the progress of the game.

The server processing unit 33 may be configured as a circuitry includingone or more processors that operate according to a computer program(software), one or more dedicated hardware circuits that execute atleast some of various kinds of processes, or a combination thereof. Theserver processing unit 33 may control an overall operation of the server3 in general, and may be, for example, a CPU. The server processing unit33 may execute various kinds of information processing through anappropriate procedure on the basis of various kinds of instructions orthe like from a program or the like stored in the server storage unit32, and may control the operation of the server communication unit 31.The server processing unit 33 may execute various kinds of informationprocessing on the basis of the operating system program, the driverprogram, the application program stored in the server storage unit 32.Also, the server processing unit 33 can execute a plurality of programsin parallel.

The server processing unit 33 may include at least a server receivingunit 331 and a storage processing unit 334. Each of these components maybe a functional module implemented by a program executed by a processorincluded in the server processing unit 33. Alternatively, each of thesecomponents may be implemented on the server 3 as firmware.

The terminal processing unit 25 of the mobile terminal 2 and the serverprocessing unit 33 of the server 3 will be described below withreference to game screens illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 12 and tablesillustrated in FIGS. 13 to 14 .

FIG. 4(a) may be a diagram illustrating an example of a game screen 400displayed on the display unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2.

The game screen 400 may be displayed, for example, when a controlprogram (for example, the game application program) for executing thegame in the present embodiment may be activated in response to a startindication input by the operation of the operation unit 23 by theplayer. The game screen 400 may be displayed when an instruction tostart a game of a new game stage may be given after a game of anothergame stage may end. An example of a display process of the game screen400 when the game application program may be activated will be describedbelow.

For example, in a case in which an activation icon or the like (notillustrated) indicating the game application program displayed on thedisplay unit 24 may be designated by the operation of the operation unit23 by the player, the start indication may be input from the operationunit 23 to the progress processing unit 251. If the start indication maybe retrieved from the operation unit 23, the progress processing unit251 may read and execute the game application program stored in thestorage unit 22.

If the game application program is executed according to the startindication input according to the operation of the operation unit 23 bythe player, the progress processing unit 251 may retrieve a player IDfrom the storage unit 22. The progress processing unit 251 may transmita data request including the retrieved player ID to the server 3 via thecommunication unit 21. The server receiving unit 331 of the server 3 mayreceive the data request transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 via theserver communication unit 31.

A data acquiring unit 332 of the server 3 may retrieve the game progressdata of the player stored in the server storage unit 32 on the basis ofthe player ID included in the data request received by the serverreceiving unit 331. The data acquiring unit 332 may identify one of thegame stages that the player has not yet played on the basis of theretrieved game progress data, and may retrieve the game field table T2of the one game stage from the server storage unit 32.

A server transmitting unit 333 of the server 3 may transmit the gamefield table T2 retrieved by the data acquiring unit 332 and the objecttable T1 and the image data of the object stored in the server storageunit 32 to the mobile terminal via the server communication unit 31. Theprogress processing unit 251 of the mobile terminal 2 may receive theobject table T1, the game field table T2, and the image data of theobject transmitted from the server 3 via the communication unit 21, andmay store them in the storage unit 22.

The display processing unit 252 of the mobile terminal 2 may display thegame screen 400 on the display unit 24 on the basis of the object tableT1, the game field table T2, and the image data of the object stored inthe storage unit 22. A game field 401, the number of remaining plays402, a start indication 403 a, a goal indication 403 b, and the like maybe displayed on the game screen 400 illustrated in FIG. 4(a).

In the game field 401, a plurality of objects ObjA, ObjB, ObjC, ObjD,ObjE, and ObjX may be arranged on the basis of the object table T1, thegame field table T2, and the image data of the object.

The number of remaining plays 402 may be information indicating thenumber of times that the player can perform operations on a plurality ofobjects displayed in the game field 401. In the example illustrated inFIG. 4(a), the player can input eight object designation instructionswhen the game starts.

The start indication 403 a may be information indicating a startposition used in an additional game described later. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 4(a), the position of the object arranged at theleft top corner among the plurality of objects arranged in the gamefield 401 serves as the start position. The start indication 403 a mayinclude the image of the game content.

The goal indication 403 b may be information indicating a goal positionused in the additional game to be described later. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 4(a), the position of the object arranged on thebottom left corner among a plurality of objects arranged in the gamefield 401 may serve as the goal position.

The display process of the game screen 400 when the game applicationprogram is started has been described above, and an example of datastructures of the object table T1 and the game field table T2 stored inthe storage unit 22 and the server storage unit 32 will be describedbelow with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 .

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of the data structure of the object tableT1 for managing various kinds of objects displayed in the game screen400. An object ID, an object attribute, an image data, and the like maybe stored in the object table T1 for each object in association witheach other.

The object ID may be an example of identification data uniquelyidentifying each object. The object attribute may be data indicating anattribute of each object. For example, in the example illustrated inFIG. 13 , attribute data indicating colors such as “yellow,” “red,”“blue,” and “green” may be stored as the object attribute. The objectattribute may include data indicating “water,” “fire,” “lightning,”“earth,” or the like. The image data may be image data indicating eachobject and may be displayed in the game field 401 of the game screen400.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a data structure of the game fieldtable T2 for managing the game fields. The game field table T2 may bestored for each game stage. For example, in a case in which a gamehaving ten game stages may be provided from the server 3 to the mobileterminal 2, ten game field tables T2 corresponding to the ten gamestages may be stored in the server storage unit 32.

The game field table T2 may store an initial object group includingobject IDs of a plurality of objects arranged in the game field 401 whenthe game starts and an additional object group including object IDs of aplurality of objects appearing in the game field according to theprogress of the game in accordance with the arrangement in the gamefield 401.

If a game of a new game stage is started, the display processing unit252 may retrieve the object IDs of a plurality of objects constitutingthe initial object group from the game field table T2 stored in thestorage unit 22. Then, the display processing unit 252 may retrieve theimage data of the object corresponding to each of a plurality ofretrieved object IDs with reference to the object table T1. Then, thedisplay processing unit 252 arranges each piece of retrieved image datain the game field 401 according to the arrangement of the object IDs ofthe initial object group. Accordingly, the game screen 400 illustratedin FIG. 4(a) may be displayed.

FIG. 4(b) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400 ina case in which the object designation instruction corresponding to theoperation of the operation unit 23 by the player is retrieved. Forexample, in a case in which the operation unit 23 is a touch panel andthe position on the display screen of the display unit 24 tapped by theplayer is one of a plurality of objects arranged in the game field 401,the progress processing unit 251 may retrieve information indicating theposition of the object corresponding to the tap position of the playeras the object designation instruction. The position of the objectindicated by the object designation instruction need not necessarily bethe tap position by the tap operation of the player and may be, forexample, a position of an object existing in a predetermined figure in acase in which the player draws the predetermined figure.

As illustrated in FIG. 4(b), the display processing unit 252 may displaya designation marker 404 centered on the tap position of player, and maydisplay “7” obtained by subtracting “1” time from “8” times as thenumber of times indicated by the number of remaining plays 402. Thedisplay processing unit 252 may not display the designation marker 404in a case in which the player taps the position on the display screen ofthe display unit 24.

FIG. 5(a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400which may reflect the acquisition of the object designation instruction.

The display processing unit 252 may delete the object corresponding tothe object designation instruction from the game field 401. Then, thedisplay processing unit 252 may display an additional game area ObjS1corresponding to the deleted object. The additional game area ObjS1 mayinclude a range of the same position and the same shape as the deletedobject, and may not include an area corresponding to an object that hasnever been deleted since the game started. In the example illustrated inFIG. 5(a), since the object which may be the rightmost object and thefourth object from the top has been deleted since the game started, theadditional game area ObjS1 has not included the range of the sameposition and the same shape as other objects other than the object.

The display processing unit 252 may display movement of one or moreobjects adjacent to the deleted object in a predetermined direction. Inthe example illustrated in FIG. 5(a), three objects arranged above thedeleted object in a screen upward direction may move in a screendownward direction. In other words, in the game field 401, an objectwhich may be the rightmost object and the third object from the topmoves to the position of the deleted object, an object which may be therightmost object and the second object from the top may move to aposition which may be the rightmost position and the third position fromthe top, and the object on the top right corner may move to a positionwhich may be the rightmost position and the second position from thetop.

An object that does not move in the screen downward direction with thedeletion of the object may be included among a plurality of objectsarranged in the game field 401. For example, as will be described later,an object with an object ID “ObjX” may not move and remain at itsarranged position even when the object below its arranged position inthe screen downward direction may be deleted. Accordingly, the objectwith the object ID “ObjX” has a function as an obstacle, and it may bepossible to change the difficulty level of the game according to thearrangement of such an object.

Then, the display processing unit 252 may retrieve the object IDs of aplurality of objects constituting the additional object group from thegame field table T2 of the game being executed stored in the storageunit 22. The display processing unit 252 may retrieve an object ID of anobject (ObjC in the example illustrated in FIG. 14 ) which may be therightmost object which is not displayed in the game field 401 among aplurality of retrieved object IDs and may be an object (arranged in thelowest position) closest to the initial object group.

The display processing unit 252 may retrieve the image data of theobject corresponding to one retrieved object ID with reference to theobject table T1, and may arrange the retrieved image data at the topright corner position of the game field 401. The display processing unit252 may display the retrieved image data so that it may move from thetop side of the game field 401 in the screen downward direction.Accordingly, it may be possible to provide the player with the effectthat the object drops from the top as if the deleted object were filled.

An example of an automatic object change process executed in response tothe movement of the object according to the object designationinstruction will be described with reference to FIG. 5(b), FIG. 6(a),and FIG. 6(b).

FIG. 5(b) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400after the object is moved according to the object designationinstruction. The progress processing unit 251 may determine that objectswhich are the rightmost objects and the first to fourth objects from thebottom in the game field 401 may satisfy an automatic change conditionwith the movement of the object according to the object designationinstruction.

For example, the automatic change condition may be satisfied when apredetermined number (for example, three) or more objects of the sametype are vertically or horizontally adjacent to each other. For example,the objects of the same type have the same object ID. The objects of thesame type may have the same attribute. In the example illustrated inFIG. 5(b), the progress processing unit 251 may determine that three ormore objects having the object ID “ObjC” may be vertically adjacent toeach other. Note that the predetermined number may not be limited tothree and may be two or four or more. The automatic change condition maybe satisfied when a predetermined number or more of objects of aplurality of types may be vertically or horizontally adjacent to eachother. For example, the automatic change condition may be satisfied whenan object with an object ID “ObjA” and an object with an object ID“ObjB” may be alternately arranged to be vertically or horizontallyadjacent to each other, and the object with the object ID “ObjA,” theobject with the object ID “ObjB,” and an object with an object ID “ObjC”may be arranged to be vertically and horizontally adjacent to each otherin the described order. The automatic change condition may be satisfiedwhen the objects of the same type or the objects a plurality of typesmay be arranged according to a predetermined arrangement pattern. Forexample, the automatic change condition may be satisfied when theobjects of the same type or the objects of a plurality of predeterminedtypes may be arranged in a cross arrangement pattern (for example, in acase in which the object with the object ID “ObjA” may be arranged at apredetermined position, the object with the object ID “ObjA” may bearranged to be adjacent to each of the top, bottom, left, and right ofthe predetermined position or in a case in which the object with theobject ID “ObjB” may be arranged at a predetermined position, the objectwith the object ID “ObjC” may be arranged to be adjacent to each of thetop, bottom, left, and right of the predetermined position), when theobjects of the same type or the objects of a plurality of types may bearranged according to a predetermined figure shape (for example, thesame objects may be arranged to form a triangular shape), or the like.

It may be determined that an object of a predetermined type does notsatisfy the automatic change condition. For example, even in a case inwhich a certain number or more objects with an object ID “ObjE” may bearranged to be vertically or horizontally adjacent to each other, it maybe determined that a certain number or more objects with the object ID“ObjE” do not satisfy the automatic change condition. Accordingly, itmay be possible to reduce the possibility of the automatic object changeprocess and change the difficulty level of the game.

FIG. 6(a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400 inwhich a display forms of four objects determined to satisfy theautomatic change condition may be automatically changed.

The display processing unit 252 may delete four objects determined tosatisfy the automatic change condition from the game field 401. In acase in which other objects of the same type may be adjacent to acertain number of objects of the same type determined to satisfy theautomatic change condition, the other objects may be a deletion target.

Then, the display processing unit 252 may display an additional gamearea ObjS2 corresponding to the deleted object. The additional game areaObjS2 illustrated in FIG. 6(a) may bean area including the additionalgame area ObjS1 illustrated in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b). Similarly to theadditional game area ObjS1 illustrated in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), theadditional game area ObjS2 illustrated in FIG. 6(a) also may not includean area corresponding to an object that has never been deleted since thegame started. In a case in which the additional game area ObjS1 and theadditional game area ObjS2 may be adjacent to each other, the displayprocessing unit 252 may integrally display the additional game areaObjS1 and the additional game area ObjS2 as one additional game areaObjS.

The display processing unit 252 may display movement of one or moreobjects adjacent to the deleted object in the predetermined direction.In the example illustrated in FIG. 6(a), a second object arranged abovethe deleted object in the screen upward direction may move in the screendownward direction. In other words, in the game field 401, the objectwhich may be the rightmost object and the second object from the top maymove to the bottom right position, and the object on the top rightcorner may move to the position which the rightmost position and thesecond position from the bottom.

Then, the display processing unit 252 may retrieve the object IDs of aplurality of objects constituting the additional object group from thegame field table T2 of the game being executed stored in the storageunit 22. The display processing unit 252 may retrieve four object IDs(ObjD, ObjD, ObjB, and ObjD in the example illustrated in FIG. 14 ) ofobjects which may be rightmost objects which may not be displayed in thegame field 401 among a plurality of retrieved object IDs and may beobjects closest to the initial object group.

The display processing unit 252 may retrieve the image data of theobject corresponding to the retrieved four object IDs with reference tothe object table T1 and may arrange the retrieved four pieces of imagedata at the positions which may be the rightmost position and the thirdto sixth positions from the bottom of the game field 401 according tothe arrangement of the additional object group. The display processingunit 252 may display the retrieved four pieces of image data so thatthey move from the upper side of the game field 401 in the screendownward direction. Accordingly, it may be possible to provide theplayer with the effect that the object drops from the top as if thedeleted object were filled.

FIG. 6(b) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400after the object may be moved by the automatic object change process.

FIG. 7(a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400 inan exemplary embodiment in which the player has performed 6 gameoperations from the start of the game. In the example illustrated inFIG. 7(a), an additional game area ObjS3 corresponding to the objectdesignation instruction (of 6 times) by the player and the automaticobject change process may be displayed.

FIG. 7(b) is a diagram illustrating an example in which the objectdesignation instruction may be retrieved according to the operation ofthe operation unit 23 by the player in the game screen 400 illustratedin FIG. 7(a).

As illustrated in FIG. 7(b), the display processing unit 252 may displaythe designation marker 404 centered on the tap position of the player,and may display “1” obtained by subtracting “1” time from “2” times asthe number of times indicated by the number of remaining plays 402. Thedisplay processing unit 252 may not display the designation marker 404in a case in which the player taps the position on the display screen ofthe display unit 24.

FIG. 8(a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400according to the acquisition of the object designation instruction.

The display processing unit 252 may delete the object corresponding tothe object designation instruction from the game field 401. Then, thedisplay processing unit 252 may display an additional game area ObjS4corresponding to the deleted object. In the example illustrated in FIG.8(a), the area ObjS4 corresponding to an object which may be the secondobject from the left and the second object from the bottom deleted bythe (seventh) object designation instruction and the additional gamearea ObjS3 may be displayed.

The display processing unit 252 may display movement of one or moreobjects adjacent to the deleted object in a predetermined direction. Inthe example illustrated in FIG. 8(a), the objects other than the objectwith the object ID “ObjX” among the three objects arranged above thedeleted object in the screen upward direction move in the screendownward direction. In other words, in the game field 401, the objectwhich may be the second object from the left and the third object fromthe top may move to the position of the deleted object, the object whichmay be the second object from the left and the second object from thetop may move to the position which may be the second position from theleft and the third position from the top, and the object which may bethe second object from the left and the first object from the top maymove to the position which may be the second position from the left andthe second position from the top.

As described above, the object with the object ID “ObjX” may be anobject that may not move and remain at its arranged position even whenthe object below its arranged position in the screen downward directionmay be deleted. In a case in which the object below the object with theobject ID “ObjX” in the screen downward direction may be deleted, theobject above the object with the object ID “ObjX” in the screen upwarddirection may move while slipping through the object with the object ID“ObjX.” Accordingly, it may be possible to change the difficulty levelof the game according to the arrangement of the object with the objectID “ObjX.”

Then, the display processing unit 252 may retrieve the object IDs of aplurality of objects constituting the additional object group from thegame field table T2 of the game being executed stored in the storageunit 22. The display processing unit 252 may retrieve an object ID of anobject (ObjD in the example illustrated in FIG. 14 ) which may be thesecond object from the left which may not be displayed in the game field401 among a plurality of retrieved object IDs and may be an objectclosest to the initial object group.

The display processing unit 252 may retrieve the image data of theobject corresponding to the retrieved one object ID with reference tothe object table T1, and may arrange the retrieved image data at theposition which may be the second position and the first position fromthe top in the game field 401. The display processing unit 252 maydisplay the retrieved image data so that it may move from the top sideof the game field 401 in the screen downward direction. Accordingly, itmay be possible to provide the player with the effect that the objectdrops from the top as if the deleted object were filled.

Next, an example of the automatic object change process that may beexecuted continuously will be described with reference to FIG. 8(b) toFIG. 10(b).

FIG. 8(b) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400after the object is moved by the object designation instructiondescribed with reference to FIGS. 7(b) and 8(a). The progress processingunit 251 may determine that the three objects which may be the secondobjects from the bottom and the second to fourth objects from the leftin the game field 401 satisfy the automatic change condition with themovement of the object according to the object designation instruction.

FIG. 9(a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400 inwhich the display forms of the three objects determined to satisfy theautomatic change condition may be automatically changed.

The display processing unit 252 may delete the three objects determinedto satisfy the automatic change condition from the game field 401. Then,the display processing unit 252 may display an additional game areaObjS5 including the area corresponding to the deleted object. Theadditional game area ObjS5 illustrated in FIG. 9(a) may be an area inwhich the additional game area ObjS3 illustrated in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b)and the area (the additional game area ObjS3) corresponding to the threedeleted objects are integrated into one area. Similarly to theadditional game areas ObjS1 to ObjS4, the additional game area ObjS5 maynot include the area corresponding to the object that has never beendeleted since the game started.

The display processing unit 252 may display movement of one or moreobjects adjacent to the three deleted objects in a predetermineddirection. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9(a), one object arrangedabove each of the deleted three objects in the screen upward directionpasses through the object with the object ID “ObjX” and may move in thescreen downward direction. In other words, in the game field 401, anobject which may be the second object from the left and the third objectfrom the top may move to a position which may be the second positionfrom the left and the second position from the bottom, an object whichmay be the third object from the left and the third object from the topmay move to a position which may be the third position from the left andthe second position from the bottom, and an object which may be thefourth object from the left and the third object from the top may moveto a position which may be the fourth position from the left and thesecond position from the bottom. In conjunction with these movements, inthe game field 401, an object which may be the second object from theleft and the second object from the top may move to a position which maybe the second position from the left and the third position from thetop, an object which may be the third object from the left and thesecond object from the top may move to a position which may be the thirdposition from the left and the third position from the top, and anobject which may be the fourth object from the left and the secondobject from the top may move to a position which may be the fourthposition from the left and the third position from the top. Further, inthe game field 401, an object which may be the second object from theleft and the first object from the top may move to a position which maybe the second position from the left and the second position from thetop, an object which may be the third object from the left and the firstobject from the top may move to a position which may be the thirdposition from the left and the second position from the top, and anobject which may be the fourth object from the left and the first objectfrom the top may move to a position which may be the fourth positionfrom the left and the second position from the top.

Then, the display processing unit 252 may retrieve the object IDs of aplurality of objects constituting the additional object group from thegame field table T2 of the game being executed stored in the storageunit 22. The display processing unit 252 may retrieve three object IDsof objects which may be second to fourth objects from the left which maynot be displayed in the game field 401 among a plurality of retrievedobject IDs and may be objects closest to the initial object group.

The display processing unit 252 may retrieve the image data of theobject corresponding to the retrieved three object IDs with reference tothe object table T1, and may arrange the retrieved three pieces of imagedata at the positions which may be second to fourth positions and thefirst position from the top in the game field 401. The displayprocessing unit 252 may display the retrieved three pieces of image dataso that it may move from the top side of the game field 401 in thescreen downward direction. Accordingly, it may be possible to providethe player with the effect that the object drops from the top as if thedeleted object were filled.

FIG. 9(b) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400after the object is moved by the automatic object change process. Theprogress processing unit 251 may determine that an object which may bethe second object from the bottom and the first object from the left, anobject which may be the second object from the bottom and the secondobject from the left, and an object which may be the second object fromthe bottom and the third object from the left in the game field 401satisfy the automatic change condition with the movement of the objectaccording to the object designation instruction.

FIG. 10(a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400in which the display form of the three objects determined to satisfy theautomatic change condition and the object which may be adjacent to thethree objects and may be the first object from the bottom and the secondobject from the left may be automatically changed.

The display processing unit 252 may delete the three objects determinedto satisfy the automatic change condition from the game field 401, andmay delete the object which may be adjacent to the three objects and maybe the second object from the left and the first object from the bottomfrom the game field 401. The object which may be the second object fromthe left and the first object from the bottom may be an object which maybe adjacent to the objects determined to satisfy the automatic changecondition and has the same type as the three objects. In a case in whichthere may be an object of the same type as the three objects amongobjects which may be further adjacent to the object which may be thesecond object from the left and the first object from the bottom, theobject may be a deletion target.

Then, the display processing unit 252 may display an additional gamearea ObjS6 including an area corresponding to the deleted four objects.The additional game area ObjS6 illustrated in FIG. 10(a) may be an areain which the additional game area ObjS5 illustrated in FIGS. 9(a) and9(b) and the area corresponding to the deleted four objects may beintegrated into one area. Similarly to the additional game areas ObjS1to ObjS5, the additional game area ObjS6 may not include the areacorresponding to the object that has never been deleted since the gamestarted.

The display processing unit 252 may display movement of one or moreobjects adjacent to the deleted four objects in a predetermineddirection. In the example illustrated in FIG. 10(a), an object arrangedabove each of the deleted four objects in the screen upward directionpasses through the object with the object ID “ObjX” and may move in thescreen downward direction. In other words, in the game field 401, anobject which may be the first object from the left and the third objectfrom the top may move to a position which may be the first position fromthe left and the second position from the bottom, an object which may bethe second object from the left and the third object from the top and anobject which may be the second object from the left and the secondobject from the top may move to a position which may be the secondposition from the left and the first position from the bottom and aposition which may be the second position from the left and the secondposition from the bottom, and an object which may be the third objectfrom the left and the third object from the top may move to a positionwhich may be the third position from the left and the second positionfrom the bottom. In conjunction with these movements, in the game field401, an object which may be the first object from the left and thesecond object from the top may move to a position which may be the firstposition from the left and the third position from the top, an objectwhich may be the second object from the left and the first object fromthe top may move to a position which may be the second position from theleft and the third position from the top, and an object which may be thethird object from the left and the second object from the top may moveto a position which may be the third position from the left and thethird position from the top. Further, in the game field 401, an objecton the top left corner may move to a position which may be the firstposition from the left and the second position from the top, and anobject which may be the third object from the left and the first objectfrom the top may move to a position which may be the third position fromthe left and the second position from the top.

Then, the display processing unit 252 may retrieve the object IDs of aplurality of objects constituting the additional object group from thegame field table T2 of the game being executed stored in the storageunit 22. The display processing unit 252 may retrieve one object ID ofan object which may be an object ID of an object which may be notdisplayed in the game field 401, an object ID of a leftmost object, andmay be closest to the initial object group among a plurality ofretrieved object IDs and two object IDs which may be object IDs ofsecond objects from the left and may be closest to the initial objectgroup, and may retrieve one object ID which may be an object ID of athird object from the left and may be closest to the initial objectgroup.

The display processing unit 252 may retrieve the image data of theobject corresponding to the retrieved four object IDs with reference tothe object table T1. The display processing unit 252 may arrange theimage data of the object corresponding to one object ID which may be theobject ID of the leftmost object and may be closest to the initialobject group at the position which may be the first position from thetop and the first position from the left in the game field 401. Thedisplay processing unit 252 may arrange the image data of the objectcorresponding to one object ID which may be the object ID of the secondobject from the left and may be closest to the initial object group atthe position which may be the second position from the top and thesecond position from the left in the game field 401, and may arrange theimage data of the object corresponding to one object ID which may be theobject ID of the second object from the left and may be second closestto the initial object group at the position which may be the firstposition from the top and the second position from the left in the gamefield 401. Further, the display processing unit 252 may arrange theimage data of the object corresponding to one object ID which may be theobject ID of the third object from the left and may be closest to theinitial object group at the position which may be the first positionfrom the top and the third position from the left in the game field 401.The display processing unit 252 may display the retrieved four pieces ofimage data so that it may move from the upper side of the game field 401in the screen downward direction. Accordingly, it may be possible toprovide the player with the effect that the object drops from the top asif the deleted object were filled.

FIG. 10(b) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400after the object may be moved by the automatic object change process.

FIG. 11(a) is a diagram illustrating an example in which the (eighth)object designation instruction may be retrieved according to theoperation of the operation unit 23 by the player in the game screen 400illustrated in FIG. 10(b).

As illustrated in FIG. 11(a), the display processing unit 252 maydisplay the designation marker 404 centered on the tap position of theplayer, and may display “0” obtained by subtracting “1” time from “1”times as the number of times indicated by the number of remaining plays402. The display processing unit 252 may not display the designationmarker 404 in a case in which the player taps the position on thedisplay screen of the display unit 24.

FIG. 11(b) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400according to the acquisition of the object designation instruction.

The display processing unit 252 may delete the object corresponding tothe object designation instruction from the game field 401. Then, thedisplay processing unit 252 may display an additional game area ObjS7corresponding to the deleted object. In the example illustrated in FIG.11(b), the additional game area ObjS7 in which the area corresponding tothe object on the bottom left corner deleted by the object designationinstruction and the additional game area ObjS6 illustrated in FIGS.10(a), 10(b), and FIG. 11(a) may be integrated. Similarly to theadditional game areas ObjS1 to ObjS6, the additional game area ObjS7 maynot include the area corresponding to the object that has never beendeleted since the game started.

The display processing unit 252 may display movement of one or moreobjects adjacent to the deleted object in a predetermined direction. Inthe example illustrated in FIG. 11(b), the objects other than the objectwith the object ID “ObjX” among the objects arranged above the deletedobject in the screen upward direction may move in the screen downwarddirection. In other words, in the game field 401, the object which maybe the first object from the left and the second object from the bottommay move to the position of the deleted object, the object which may bethe first object from the left and the third object from the top maymove to the position which may be the first position from the left andthe second position from the bottom, the object which may be the firstobject from the left and the second object from the top may move to theposition which may be the first position from the left and the thirdposition from the top, and the object on the top left corner may move tothe position which may be the first position from the left and thesecond position from the top.

Then, the display processing unit 252 may retrieve the object IDs of aplurality of objects constituting the additional object group from thegame field table T2 of the game being executed stored in the storageunit 22. The display processing unit 252 may retrieve an object ID of anobject which may be the leftmost object which may not be displayed inthe game field 401 among a plurality of retrieved object IDs and may bean object closest to the initial object group.

The display processing unit 252 may retrieve the image data of theobject corresponding to the retrieved one object ID with reference tothe object table T1, and may arrange the retrieved image data at theposition on the top left corner in the game field 401. The displayprocessing unit 252 may display the retrieved image data so that it maymove from the top side of the game field 401 in the screen downwarddirection. Accordingly, it may be possible to provide the player withthe effect that the object drops from the top as if the deleted objectwere filled.

FIG. 12(a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen 400after the object is moved by the object designation instruction. Theprogress processing unit 251 may determine that the game completecondition is satisfied in a case in which the additional game area ObjS7may include the start position indicated by the start indication 403 aand the goal position indicated by the goal indication 403 b. The gamecomplete condition may be satisfied when the number of times indicatedby the number of plays 402 may be “0” (the player inputs eight objectdesignation instructions). The game complete condition may be satisfiedwhen the additional game area ObjS7 including the start positionindicated by the start indication 403 a and the goal position indicatedby the goal indication 403 b, and the number of times indicated by thenumber of plays 402 may be “0.”

The start position may be an arrangement position of the object adjacentto the start indication 403 a, that is, a position of the object on thetop left corner in the game field 401. The goal position may be anarrangement position of the object adjacent to the goal indication 403b, that is, a position of the object on the bottom left corner in thegame field 401.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 12(a), since the additional game areaObjS7 may include the start position indicated by the start indication403 a and the goal position indicated by the goal indication 403 b, theprogress processing unit 251 may determine that the game completecondition is satisfied.

In a case in which the additional game area ObjS does not include thestart position indicated by the start indication 403 a and the goalposition indicated by the goal indication 403 b even though the numberof remaining plays 402 may be “0,” the progress processing unit 251 maydetermine that the game complete condition may not be satisfied, and thegame end condition is satisfied. In a case in which it may be determinedthat the game complete condition is not satisfied and the game endcondition may be satisfied, the progress processing unit 251 may storethe game progress data indicating that the corresponding game stage hasnot been completed in the storage unit 22, and may end the game of thecorresponding game stage.

FIG. 12(b) may be a diagram illustrating an example of the game screen400 in which the additional game may be executed. The display processingunit 252 may display the game screen 400 in which the additional gamemay be executed in a case in which the progress processing unit 251 maydetermine that the game complete condition is satisfied.

The additional game may be automatically started if the game screen 400in which the additional game may be executed is displayed. In theexample illustrated in FIG. 12(b), the game content included in thestart indication 403 a may move to the start position and automaticallymay move to the goal position in the additional game area ObjS7 (or thegoal indication 403 b via the goal position). The display processingunit 252 may perform control such that the game content automaticallymay move on a path created using a known a shortest path searchtechnique using graph data in which a center position of each object inthe additional game area ObjS7 may be set as a node and a space betweenadjacent nodes may be set as a link to be connected. In a case in whichthe game content may move to the goal position (or the goal indication403 b via the goal position), the progress processing unit 251 may storethe game progress data including information indicating that the gamestage has been completed in the storage unit 22, and may end the game ofthe corresponding game stage. The movement of the game content may beperformed manually according to the operation of the player. Also, theprogress processing unit 251 may store a privilege corresponding to amoving distance of the game content in the storage unit 22 and theserver storage unit 32 in association with the player. For example, in acase in which the moving distance of the game content may be a firstdistance or more, a predetermined privilege may be stored in the storageunit 22 and the server storage unit 32 in association with the player.Accordingly, the player can consider a strategy of an operation oftapping the object so that the additional game area ObjS has the longermoving distance, and it may be possible to provide the player with amore sophisticated game. In a case in which the moving distance of thegame content may be a second distance or less, a predetermined privilegemay be stored in the storage unit 22 and the server storage unit 32 inassociation with the player. Accordingly, the player can consider astrategy of an operation of tapping the object so that the additionalgame area ObjS has the smaller moving distance, and it may be possibleto provide the player with a more sophisticated game.

In a case in which the game complete condition may not be a conditionsatisfied when the additional game area ObjS7 includes the startposition indicated by the start indication 403 a and the goal positionindicated by the goal indication 403 b, the display processing unit 252may perform a display indicating that the additional game has failed ifthe additional game area ObjS7 does not include at least one of thestart position and the goal position. In this case, the progressprocessing unit 251 may store the game progress data includinginformation indicating that the corresponding game stage may not becompleted in the storage unit 22 and may end the game of thecorresponding game stage.

If the game of the game stage may end, the progress processing unit 251may transmit the game progress data stored in the storage unit 22 to theserver 3 via the communication unit 21. The server receiving unit 331 ofthe server 3 may receive the game progress data transmitted from themobile terminal 2 via the server communication unit 31. The storageprocessing unit 334 of the server 3 may execute a server registrationprocess of storing the game progress data received by the serverreceiving unit 331 in the server storage unit 32.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation sequenceof the game system 1. This operation sequence may be executed incooperation with the respective elements of the mobile terminal 2 andthe server 3 mainly through the terminal processing unit 25 and theserver processing unit 33 on the basis of the program previously storedin the storage unit 22 and the server storage unit 32.

If the progress processing unit 251 of the mobile terminal 2 activatesthe game application program according to the start indication inputaccording to the operation of the operation unit 23 by the player, adata request including the player ID stored in the storage unit 22 maybe transmitted to the server 3 via the communication unit 21 (stepS101).

The server receiving unit 331 of the server 3 may receive the datarequest transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 through the servercommunication unit 31. Then, the data acquiring unit 332 of the server 3may retrieve the game progress data of the player stored in the serverstorage unit 32 on the basis of the player ID included in the datarequest. The data acquiring unit 332 may identify one of the game stagesthat the player has not yet played on the basis of the retrieved gameprogress data, and may retrieve the game field table T2 of the one gamestage from the server storage unit 32. Then, the server transmittingunit 333 of the server 3 may transmit the game field table T2 retrievedby the data acquiring unit 332 and the object table T1 and the imagedata of the object stored in the server storage unit 32 to the mobileterminal 2 through the server communication unit 31 (step S102).

The progress processing unit 251 of the mobile terminal 2 may receivethe object table T1, the game field table T2, and the image data of theobject transmitted from the server 3 through the communication unit 21.The display processing unit 252 of the mobile terminal 2 may display thegame screen 400 on the display unit 24 on the basis of the object tableT1, the game field table T2, and the image data of the object receivedby the progress processing unit 251 (step S103).

Then, the progress processing unit 251 and the display processing unit252 may execute the game progress process (step S104). The game progressprocess will be described later in detail.

If the game progress process ends, the progress processing unit 251 maytransmit the game progress data related to the game result based on thegame progress process (the identification data identifying the gamestage that the player has already played and completed or the like) tothe server 3 through the communication unit 21 (step S105).

If the game progress data transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 may bereceived by the server receiving unit 331 of the server 3, the storageprocessing unit 334 of the server 3 may execute the server registrationprocess of storing the received game progress data in the server storageunit 32 (step S106).

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow of thegame progress process by the progress processing unit 251 and thedisplay processing unit 252 of the mobile terminal 2. The game progressprocess illustrated in FIG. 16 may be executed in step S104 of FIG. 15 .

The progress processing unit 251 and the display processing unit 252 mayexecute the automatic object change process (step S201). The automaticobject change process will be described later in detail.

The progress processing unit 251 may determine whether or not the objectdesignation instruction corresponding to the operation of the operationunit 23 by the player is retrieved (step S202). The progress processingunit 251 may be on standby until the player may receive the objectdesignation instruction corresponding to the operation of the operationunit 23 (No in step S202).

In a case in which the object designation instruction corresponding tothe operation of the operation unit 23 by the player may be retrieved(Yes in step S202), the display processing unit 252 may change thedisplay form of the designated object (step S203).

Then, the display processing unit 252 may display the movement of one ormore objects adjacent to the object whose display form has been changedin a predetermined direction (step S204).

Then, the progress processing unit 251 and the display processing unit252 may execute the automatic object change process (step S205). Theautomatic object change process will be described later in detail.

Then, the progress processing unit 251 may determine whether or not thegame complete condition may be satisfied (step S206).

In a case in which it is determined that the game complete condition issatisfied (Yes in step S206), the game screen 400 for executing theadditional game may be displayed (step S207), and the game progressprocess may end.

In a case in which it is determined that the game complete condition isnot satisfied (No in step S206), the display processing unit 252 maydetermine whether or not the game end condition is satisfied (stepS208).

In a case in which it is determined that the game end condition is notsatisfied (No in step S208), the progress processing unit 251 may causethe process to return to step S202.

In a case in which it is determined that the game end condition issatisfied (Yes in step S208), the game progress process may end.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow of anautomatic object change process by the progress processing unit 251 andthe display processing unit 252 of the mobile terminal 2. The automaticobject change process illustrated in FIG. 17 may be executed in stepsS201 and S205 of FIG. 16 .

First, the progress processing unit 251 may determine whether or notthere is an object satisfying the automatic change condition in the gamefield 401 (step S301).

Ina case in which it is determined that there is an object satisfyingthe automatic change condition in the game field 401 (Yes in step S301),the display processing unit 252 may change the display form of theobject satisfying the automatic change condition (step S302). Thedisplay processing unit 252 may change the display form of an objectthat may be adjacent to the object satisfying the automatic changecondition and that has the same type as the object satisfying theautomatic change condition.

Then, the display processing unit 252 may display the movement of one ormore objects adjacent to the object whose display form has been changedin a predetermined direction (step S303), and may cause the process toreturn to step S301.

Ina case in which it is determined that there is no object satisfyingthe automatic change condition in the game field 401 (No in step S301),the automatic object change process may end.

As described above in detail, the game system 1 of the presentembodiment can provide the additional game corresponding to theoperation result of the puzzle game to the player who has played thepuzzle game. In other words, the game system 1 of the present embodimentcan provide the player with the user interface of realizing various gamedevelopments without increasing the type and/or number of game objectsor increasing the moving speed of the game object. Further, in a case inwhich the mobile terminal 2 is a handheld computer such as a smartphoneor a tablet terminal, an operation on the object displayed on thedisplay screen of the display unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2 may beperformed by a finger, a stylus, or the like of the player who operatesthe operation unit 23 (the touch panel). In this case, as the number ofobjects displayed on the display screen increases, the frequency of theoccurrence of the operation errors may increase. However, the gamesystem 1 of the present embodiment can execute the additional gamereusing information of a previous game area after the previous game maybe executed and realize various game developments while maintaining theoperability without increasing the type and/or number of game objectsand the moving speed.

The invention may not be limited to the present embodiment. For example,in the game field 401, in a case in which there are a secondpredetermined number of objects of the same type (with the secondpredetermined number being greater than a predetermined number in theautomatic object changing process) which are arranged to be verticallyor horizontally adjacent to each other, the second predetermined numberof objects of the same type may be deleted, and a special object may bedisplayed at an arrangement position of any one of the secondpredetermined number of objects of the same type. In this case, theobjects arranged above the display position of the special object in thescreen upward direction may not move in the screen downward direction byone object.

In a case in which the player taps the special object, a predeterminedgame effect may be executed on other objects than the special objectarranged in the game field 401. For example, in a case in which theplayer taps the special object, all objects (except the object ID“ObjX”) within a predetermined range centered on the special objectamong a plurality of objects arranged in the game field 401 may bedeleted, and display may be performed such that the object arrangedabove the deleted object in the screen upward direction may move to theposition of the deleted object. Further, in conjunction with thismovement, the image data of the object with the object ID of theadditional object group may be displayed at the arrangement positionbefore the moved object moves. Also, in a case in which the player tapsthe special object, the object attribute of objects of a predeterminedtype or objects of all types among other objects arranged in the gamefield 401 may be changed. In a case in which a predetermined effect isexecuted on other objects than the special object, the number indicatedby the number of remaining plays 402 may be decremented by one.

As described above, in the game system 1 of the present embodiment, itmay be possible to provide the player with games with diversity bycausing a special object to appear in a case in which more objects maybe simultaneously deleted than in the automatic change process.

Further, as described with reference to FIGS. 8(b) to 10(b), in a casein which the automatic object change process may be consecutivelyexecuted, the progress processing unit 251 may store a consecutive pointvalue in the storage unit 22. For example, if the automatic objectchange process may be executed twice consecutively after the gamestarts, the progress processing unit 251 may store “2” in the storageunit 22 as the consecutive point value.

Then, in a case if the automatic object change process may be executedfour times consecutively according to the object designation instructionby the player, the progress processing unit 251 may store “6” (obtainedby adding “4” to stored “2”) in the storage unit 22 as the consecutivepoint value. Further, if the automatic object change process is executedthree times consecutively according to the object designationinstruction by the player, the progress processing unit 251 may store“9” (obtained by adding “6” to stored “3”) in the storage unit 22 as theconsecutive point value. The display processing unit 252 may display theconsecutive point value in the game screen 400.

In a case in which the consecutive point value is a predetermined pointnumber (for example, “10”) or more, the progress processing unit 251 maysubtract the predetermined point number (for example, “10”) from theconsecutive point value, and the display processing unit 252 may displaya predetermined image (an icon or the like) in the game screen 400.

In a case in which the player taps a predetermined image, apredetermined game effect may be executed on one or more objectsarranged in the game field 401. For example, in a case in which theplayer taps a predetermined image, the display processing unit 252 maychange a predetermined type of object arranged in the game field 401 toanother type of object. For example, the display processing unit 252 maychange each object with the object ID “ObjE” to any one of other objectIDs “ObjA” to “ObjD.” In a case in which the three objects with theobject ID “ObjE” may be arranged in the game field 401, all of the threeobjects may be changed to the object with object ID “ObjA.”Alternatively, the three objects may be changed to the object with theobject ID “ObjA,” the object with the object ID “ObjB,” and the objectwith the object ID “ObjC,” respectively. Further, in a case in which theplayer taps a predetermined image, the display processing unit 252 maydelete all or some of a predetermined type of objects arranged in thegame field 401. Further, the display processing unit 252 may change allor some of objects associated with a predetermined attribute arranged inthe game field 401 to have other attributes.

As described above, the game system 1 of the present embodiment canautomatically change some of a plurality of objects in the game field401 by causing the player to continuously perform the automatic changeprocess, and thus it may be possible to provide the payer with gameswith diversity.

Moreover, the change in the display form of the object may be a changein a display color associated with a composition of an object. Forexample, in a case in which an object with an object ID “ObjA” is tappedand an object with an object ID “ObjB” that may be adjacent to theobject with the object ID “ObjA” in the screen upward direction may movein the screen downward direction, the progress processing unit 251 mayread a new object with an object ID “ObjF” in which the object with theobject ID “ObjA” and the object with the object ID “ObjB” may becombined from the object table T1, and the display processing unit 252may display the object with the object ID “ObjF” at the display positionof the object with the object ID “ObjA.”

Accordingly, in a case in which the object adjacent to the objectcorresponding to the object designation instruction in the screen upwarddirection may be a specific combination, a new object appears, and thusit may be possible to provide the player with games with diversity.

Also, depending on the area size of the additional game area ObjS whenthe additional game starts, the privilege may be associated with theplayer and stored in the storage unit 22 and the server storage unit 32.For example, in a case in which the area size of the additional gamearea ObjS when the additional game is started is smaller than apredetermined first area size, the privilege may be associated with theplayer and stored in the storage unit 22 and the server storage unit 32.Accordingly, it may be possible to give the privilege to the player whocompletes the game efficiently with a smaller number of deleted objectsin the game field 401. In a case in which the area size of theadditional game area ObjS when the additional game is started may belarger than a predetermined second area size, the privilege may beassociated with the player and stored in the storage unit 22 and theserver storage unit 32. Accordingly, it may be possible to give theprivilege to the player who deletes more objects in the game field 401and completes the game.

Also, the game screens 400 illustrated in FIG. 4(a) to FIG. 12(b) may besimultaneously provided to the mobile terminals 2 owned by a pluralityof players. For example, the game system 1 may provide a competitiongame using a single game screen 400 to a plurality of players.

In this competition game, the area corresponding to the object deletedby each player may be associated with each of the players who may beprovided with the competition game by the game system 1. For example,the server receiving unit 331 may receive information related to thearea corresponding to the object deleted by each player transmitted fromeach the mobile terminal 2 through the server communication unit 31, andthe server storage unit 32 may store the information related to the areacorresponding to the object deleted by the player in association withthe player ID of each player. In a case in which transmission andreception of data are executed between the mobile terminals 2 eitherdirectly or via the server 3, the information related to the areacorresponding to the object deleted by each player transmitted from eachmobile terminal 2 may be received by one or more mobile terminals 2other than the mobile terminal 2 which has transmitted the information,and in each mobile terminal 2, the area corresponding to the objectdeleted by each player may be stored in each storage unit 22 inassociation with each player.

For example, the game field 401 in which a plurality of objects arearranged may be displayed on the display units 24 of the mobileterminals 2 of a plurality of players, and the additional game area ObjScorresponding to each player may be displayed on the display unit 24 ofthe mobile terminal 2 of each player. In other words, in a case in whicha competition game may be provided to a player A and a player B, anadditional game area ObjS-a of the player A and an additional game areaObjS-b of the player B may be displayed in the single game field 401.

In this competition game, control may be performed such that the playeris unable to use the additional game area ObjS of other players as theirown additional game area ObjS. For example, in a case in which thedisplay form of the object has been changed and the object has beenmoved according to the object designation instruction of the player A,and the automatic object change process is completed (or not executed),the player B can give the object designation instruction. In a firstexemplary embodiment, even in a case in which an object in theadditional game area ObjS-a of the player A is deleted according to theobject designation instruction of the player B, the area correspondingto that object may not be integrated with the additional game areaObjS-b of the player B. In a second exemplary embodiment, in a case inwhich the object in the additional game area ObjS-a of the player A isdeleted according to the object designation instruction of the player B,the area corresponding to that object be removed from the additionalgame area ObjS-a of the player A and may be integrated with theadditional game area ObjS-b of the player B. Further, in a thirdexemplary embodiment, in a case in which the object in the additionalgame area ObjS-a of the player A is deleted according to the objectdesignation instruction of the player B, the area corresponding to thatobject may remain the additional game area ObjS-a of the player A andmay also be integrated with the additional game area ObjS-b of theplayer B (that is, the area corresponding to the deleted object may beincluded in both the additional game area ObjS-a and the additional gamearea ObjS-b).

As described above, the game system 1 can provide a plurality of playerswith a game in which a puzzle game and a strategy game can be played atthe same time. Further, the game system 1 can prevent the decrease inthe visibility of objects by the player, prevent the reduction in theinput accuracy of the player associated with the reduction in theplayer's visibility of the object, the increase in the type and/ornumber of a plurality of objects in the limited display area of thedisplay unit 24 of the mobile terminal 2, and/or the increase in themoving speed, and thus provide the player with the user interface ofrealizing various game developments without degrading usability.

In this competition game, in a case in which the object arranged at thesame position is deleted a certain number of times depending on theobject designation instruction by the player (and according to theautomatic object change process executed by the object designationinstruction), the area corresponding to that position may be set as theadditional game area ObjS of the player.

The additional game may be any game as long as the game uses theadditional game area ObjS. For example, the additional game may be aboard game in which pieces can be arranged only in the additional gamearea ObjS. The additional game may be a quiz game in which an imagehaving the same size as the game field 401 may be displayed by maskingareas other than the additional game area ObjS, and a query about a nameof an image may be given.

Also, the puzzle game and the additional game may be executed at thesame time. For example, the additional game may be an escape game thatprotects a game content from a combat game content that mayautomatically move in the game field 401.

In this case, at the same time as the start of the game, the gamecontent and the combat game content may move only in the additional gamearea ObjS in the game field. The game content may automatically move inthe additional game area ObjS, and the combat game content traces thegame content which may automatically move. The player may give theobject designation instruction so that the additional game area ObjS maybe generated, so that the movable area of the game content may increase,and the game content can escape from the trace of the combat gamecontent. For example, the progress processing unit 251 may determinethat the player has succeeded in the escape game if the game content isnot captured by the combat game content for a predetermined time (if thecombat game content does not reach the position of the game content) andstore a predetermined privilege in the storage unit 22 and the serverstorage unit 32 in association with the player.

In this escape game, the game content and the combat game content may bemovable in the areas other than the additional game area ObjS in thegame field. In this case, the game content may automatically move in theareas other than the additional game area ObjS in the game field 401,and the combat game content tracks the game content that mayautomatically move. The player may give an object designationinstruction so that the additional game area ObjS may be generated, sothat the movable area of the combat game content decreases, and thecombat game content may be unable to trace the game content. Forexample, the progress processing unit 251 may determine that the playerhas succeeded in the escape game if the game content may not be capturedby the combat game content for a predetermined time and may store apredetermined privilege in the storage unit 22 and the server storageunit 32 in association with the player.

Also, the game executed before the additional game may be not limited tothe puzzle game but may be a game in which the player taps the gamescreen 400 (for example, a shading game, a board game such as a chase,or the like).

Also, the progress of the game in the present embodiment may be changedaccording to the relation of the object corresponding to the objectdesignation instruction (the object deleted by the operation of theplayer) and/or the object satisfying the automatic change condition (theobject deleted in a case in which the automatic change condition may besatisfied) and the additional game area ObjS.

For example, in the started game, in a case in which the area attributefor the additional game area ObjS may be stored in the storage unit 22in advance, if the object attribute of the object deleted by theoperation of the player and/or the object attribute of the objectdeleted in a case in which the automatic change condition may besatisfied has a predetermined relation with the area attribute, the areacorresponding to the deleted object may be set as the additional gamearea ObjS of the player. The predetermined relation between the objectattribute and the area attribute may be, for example, a relation thatthe object attribute and the area attribute may be identical to eachother, a relation that a combination of the object attribute and thearea attribute may be identical to a predetermined combination, or thelike.

Further, for example, in a case in which the object adjacent to theobject corresponding to the object designation instruction in the screenupward direction may be a specific combination, the additional game areaObjS corresponding to the specific combination may be displayed at theposition corresponding to the object corresponding to the objectdesignation instruction. In a case in which the game ends, the privilegecorresponding to the area size of the additional game area ObjScorresponding to the specific combination may be stored in the storageunit 22 in association with the player.

Further, the same area attribute as the object attribute of the deletedobject may be associated with the area corresponding to the objectdeleted by the operation of the player and/or the area corresponding tothe object deleted in a case in which the automatic change condition maybe satisfied. In a case in which the area attribute of the area whichmay be adjacent to the additional game area ObjS and corresponds to thedeleted object may be identical to the area attribute of the additionalgame area ObjS, the area corresponding to the deleted object may beintegrated into the additional game area ObjS.

In a case in which a plurality of types of object attributes may be setin the game and there may be at least two or more types of objectattributes of the deleted object, the additional game area ObjS usedwhen the game is satisfied and the additional game is executed may beassociated with at least two types of area attributes. In this case, theadditional game corresponding to at least two types of area attributesmay be executed. For example, settings may be performed such that thegame content can move automatically in the additional game area ObjScorresponding to a first area attribute out of at least two types ofarea attributes, and the game content can be moved (manually), by theoperation of the player, in the additional game area ObjS correspondingto a second area attribute out of at least two types of area attributes.

Also, for example, in a case in which the player attribute is stored inthe storage unit 22 in association with the player, and any one of atleast two types of area attributes associated with the additional gamearea ObjS is identical to the player attribute, the additional game areaObjS having the same area attribute as the player attribute may bestored in the storage unit 22 in association with the player. In thiscase, depending the area size of the additional game area ObjSassociated with the player, the privilege and/or the point may be storedin the storage unit 22 in association with the player.

Further, for example, in a case in which the game element such as aterrain, an item, a castle, a town, a building, or a character eachhaving a plurality of types of attributes may be arranged in advance inthe game field of the additional game, the game element having the sameattribute as the area attribute of the game area ObjS may be stored inthe storage unit 22 in association with the player. In this case, theprogress processing unit 251 may perform control such that only the gameelement associated with the player can be used in the additional game.Further, the progress processing unit 251 may cause the game elementassociated with the player to be usable during the execution period ofthe additional game and cause the game element not associated with theplayer to be usable in a case in which a predetermined use condition issatisfied. The predetermined use condition may be, for example,satisfied when a current time is within a predetermined period of theexecution period of the additional game (shorter than the executionperiod of the additional game), when a predetermined item is used by theplayer, when the area size of each of two or more types of additionalgame areas ObjS is a predetermined area or more, or the like.

Also, the game system 1 may be configured to include only a plurality ofmobile terminals 2, respectively, operated by a plurality of players.Each of a plurality of mobile terminals may perform wirelesscommunication with other mobile terminals 2 according to a predeterminedcommunication scheme, and a plurality of mobile terminals 2 mayconstitute an ad hoc network. In this case, a specific mobile terminal 2among a plurality of mobile terminals 2 functions as a host and mayexecute the respective functions of the server 3 described above. Thegame described above may be executed such that the mobile terminal 2other than the specific mobile terminal 2 among a plurality of mobileterminals 2 may perform communication with the specific mobile terminal2 that may execute the respective functions of the server 3. Thespecific mobile terminal 2 that functions as a host may execute both thefunctions of the server 3 and the functions of the mobile terminal 2.Also, the predetermined communication scheme may be, for example, awireless communication scheme of the IEEE 802.11 standard, and the like.

Also, some of the functions of the terminal processing unit 25 of themobile terminal 2 may be realized by the server processing unit 33 ofthe server 3. The server processing unit 33 may execute the gameprogress process, and the display processing unit 252 of the mobileterminal 2 may cause the result of the game progress process transmittedfrom the server 3 to be displayed on the display unit 24. The gamesystem 1 that provides such a so-called web game makes it possible toreduce the processing load on the mobile terminal 2.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, substitutions, and revisions can be made thereto withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1 game system-   2 mobile terminal-   21 communication unit-   22 storage unit-   23 operation unit-   24 display unit-   25 terminal processing unit-   251 progress processing unit-   252 display processing unit-   3 server-   31 server communication unit-   32 server storage unit-   33 server processing unit-   331 server receiving unit-   332 data acquiring unit-   333 server transmitting unit-   334 storage processing unit-   4 base station-   5 mobile communication network-   6 gateway-   7 Internet

The invention claimed is:
 1. A game apparatus, comprising: a display unit including a display screen; and a processing unit configured to: cause a plurality of objects to be displayed on the display screen of the display unit, initiate a game progress process, and based on the game progress process, change, in a case in which at least one object of the plurality of objects is operated by a player in a first game, a display form of one or more objects including at least the operated object and specify an area corresponding to the one or more objects, evaluate a game complete condition, terminate the first game based on the game complete condition, and stop the game progress process, and after terminating the first game, initiate a second game different from the first game, display, in a case in which a first condition related to the first game is satisfied, a new game screen for the second game having the specified area as a second game area used in the second game, receive at least one control input associated with a second game object, and control at least one operation of the second game object based on the at least one control input.
 2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first condition is satisfied when a number of designations of the object by the player reaches a predetermined number.
 3. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a case in which the second game area is adjacent to another second game area, the processing unit is configured to integrate the adjacent two second game areas into one second game area, and wherein the processing unit is configured to determine that the first condition is satisfied upon determination that at least one second game area includes a predetermined position used in the second game.
 4. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the changing of the display form of the operated object includes deleting the operated object from the display screen.
 5. The game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing unit is configured to perform display control such that an object adjacent to the deleted object in a predetermined direction among the plurality of objects is automatically moved to a position of the deleted object in the display screen.
 6. The game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processing unit is configured to delete an object satisfying a second condition as the adjacent object is moved from the display screen, and is configured to display an area corresponding to the deleted object as the second game area.
 7. The game apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the object satisfying the second condition is deleted from the display screen as the deleted object is automatically moved, and a predetermined parameter value is increased according to the number of times that the second condition is satisfied consecutively.
 8. The game apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an attribute is associated with each of the plurality of objects, and in a case in which a third condition relating to the predetermined parameter value is satisfied, the predetermined attribute is changed to another attribute for an object associated with a predetermined attribute displayed on the display screen.
 9. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to specify the area corresponding to the one or more objects by: after changing the one or more objects including at least the operated object, triggering, based on changing the one or more objects, specification of the area corresponding to the one or more objects, said area corresponding to the one or more objects including at least the operated object.
 10. A control method of a game apparatus including a display unit including a display screen, comprising: with a processing unit of the game apparatus, controlling the display unit to cause a plurality of objects to be displayed on the display screen of the display unit; with the processing unit, initiating a game progress process, and based on the game progress process, changing, in a case in which at least one object of the plurality of objects is operated by a player in a first game, a display form of one or more objects including at least the operated object and specifying an area corresponding to the one or more objects, evaluating a game complete condition, terminating the first game based on the game complete condition, and stopping the game progress process; and after terminating the first game, initiating, with the processing unit, a second game different from the first game, displaying, on the display unit, in a case in which a first condition related to the first game is satisfied, a new game screen for the second game having the specified area as a second game area used in the second game different from the first game, receiving, from the game apparatus, at least one control input associated with a second game object, and controlling, with the processing unit, at least one operation of the second game object based on the at least one control input.
 11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein specifying the area corresponding to the one or more objects comprises: after changing the one or more objects including at least the operated object, triggering, based on changing the one or more objects, specification of the area corresponding to the one or more objects, said area corresponding to the one or more objects including at least the operated object.
 12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a control program of a game apparatus including a display unit including a display screen, the control program, when executed, causing the game apparatus to execute: with a processing unit of the game apparatus, controlling the display unit to cause a plurality of objects to be displayed on the display screen of the display unit; with the processing unit, initiating a game progress process, and based on the game progress process, changing, in a case in which at least one object of the plurality of objects is operated by a player in a first game, a display form of one or more objects including at least the operated object and specifying an area corresponding to the one or more objects, evaluating a game complete condition, terminating the first game based on the game complete condition, and stopping the game progress process; and after terminating the first game, initiating, with the processing unit, a second game different from the first game, displaying, on the display unit, in a case in which a first condition related to the first game is satisfied, a new game screen for the second game having the specified area as a second game area used in the second game different from the first game, receiving, from the game apparatus, at least one control input associated with a second game object, and controlling, with the processing unit, at least one operation of the second game object based on the at least one control input.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein specifying the area corresponding to the one or more objects comprises: after changing the one or more objects including at least the operated object, triggering, based on changing the one or more objects, specification of the area corresponding to the one or more objects, said area corresponding to the one or more objects including at least the operated object. 